7 Reasons You Aren't Getting Any Traffic From StumbleUpon

StumbleUpon can be really beneficial for bloggers. I find a very unique group of users on that platform, unlike those on other social media. And you can drive tons of traffic to your blog from it. But if you think you are going to just drop your links in there and see your stats explode, you will be sadly mistaken.
I don’t know why I must repeat this about every platform I discuss but it is called a social media platform for a reason. Heavy emphasis on the word SOCIAL. You may be able to manipulate the algorithm and not engage and see a bump in traffic for a limited amount of time but trust me, any kind of sustained gain needs engagement. And this holds true for any social media platform.
If you have been on StumbleUpon for a while and have not seen any increase in refers, are you making any of these mistakes?

7 Reasons You Aren’t Getting Any Traffic From StumbleUpon

1. You only share your own blog links.

I see this all the time. It is so easy for me to check what other specific people are sharing on StumbleUpon. And if I can see your selfish ways, so can the platform. This practice is also a good way to get yourself blocked on StumbleUpon, which has happened to some of my blogging friends.
And come on now, would you like to engage with someone who only shares their own posts all the time? Ya, I don’t think so.

2. You never engage on the platform.

Besides adding links through a share button or a chrome extension, do you spend time on StumbleUpon? I’m telling you, you should. Not only does it boost the status of the links you add externally, there is some amazing content on StumbleUpon. I regularly share links I find there on my Facebook and Twitter accounts. In a sea full of same old, same old, it is nice to share posts outside the box. Use the platform to find great content or get ideas for your next post.

3. Your content.

I know this one may piss you off but you need to hear it. StumpleUpon is not like your WordPress Reader. It is not like your Twitter account where you are followed by all of your blogger friends either. Yes, there are bloggers on StumbleUpon but just like Pinterest, a majority of StumbleUpon users are everyday people. I know it’s hard to believe but there is a whole universe of people that do not blog, do not care what you had for supper (put that on Instagram), do not want to hear about your personal problems(share that on Facebook), won’t read your book review (they will read that on amazon) and couldn’t care less what your favourite Netflix shows are.
Unless…the post is written in such a way that there is a lesson or benefit to the reader.
Now maybe your blog is eclectic and you are ok with reaching just a few readers. Than I say go for it but have realistic expectations.TIP: When you decide to participate in a StumbleUpon thread in a Facebook group, you want to get the most bang for your buck. Share a post that you know will appeal to more people. Share a post that is already doing really well on your blog. Give it some extra juice. Do not automatically share your latest post unless you know it will get some good traction. You are wasting everyone’s time if you do.

4. You have pop ups on your blog at entry.

This is another pet peeve of mine as stated in my post, 5 Reasons I Didn’t Read Your Blog. Your post will appear on the StumbleUpon platform, exactly like it does on the web. So if you have a pop up upon entry, it will pop up on StumbleUpon too. I can’t tell you what a pain in the ass it is on my phone app to get rid of a pop up so I can read your content. Guess what? I’m going to give you a thumbs down and help bury your post. Sound mean? Maybe. But you can change when your pop up happens and I’m done telling bloggers to do it.

5. Your title does not match your post.

While having a click-worthy title is important, it is just as crucial to have your post reflect your title and deliver as promised. Make sure your title doesn’t induce the wrath of the down finger!

6. You are not consistent.

It is great that you add all of your newest posts to StumbleUpon. And that once a week you participate in a share thread and share tons of other blogger’s posts but…to get the most out of this platform, you need to make time daily to go on the platform, stumble, and like some posts.

7. You do not have a StumbleUpon share button on your post.

There are many ways to share a post on StumbleUpon but why not make it super easy for your followers to share your content on that platform.

If you are self-hosted, you can use a social media sharing plug-in. Check out the help pages within the plug-in to make sure you are displaying all of the social media icons that you want.

46 Comments

I am VERY new to the corners of the internet (actually, more like the main rooms than the corners) of which you write in this post. I just want to say thanks for being clear, concise, and throwing in a little humor to boot. I have already started checking out other posts of yours, and all of the ones i’ve read so far have been MOST helpful. So i just want to express my sincere gratitude…cheers!

I was getting tons of traffic from Stumbleupon and all of a sudden – nothing, zilch. But after reading your article I must admit I was doing the selfish thing, only stumbling my own stuff.
Thanks for setting me straight. But how can I fix this? Is it as easy as just starting to engage and StumbleUpon will … forgive me?

Thanks this is a great post. I found I get lots of traffic from StumbleUpon, but didn’t really know much about it…until now ; )
I’ll add the share link to my blog and be a much better StumbleUpon citizen from now on…starting with sharing this post!

lol, thanks so much Elena. I’ve watched the video and found it very helpful. However, I hope you don’t mind if I ask a couple of questions. How do I find people on SU? For example, somebody like Suzie from Suzie speaks? I could not work out how to enter a name and find a person. Also, any idea on how to delete notifications? I have a few that seem to be over a year old, and when I click on them it says ‘page not found.’ I hope you don’t mind me asking?

Not at all and I could kick myself for not covering the following thingie. I had it on my list and totally forgot to mention it. Believe it or not, there is no longer an easy way to find people on SU. You used to be able to search. Not anymore. What you can do is look at the profiles of people you follow, see who follows them and who they follow and see if you can find who you are looking for. Sucks, doesn’t it? If I find a simpler solution, I will let you know. As for your second question, I will have to investigate and get back.

Hi Elena! I am fortunate that I do get quite a few readers from Stumble Upon already. But one great suggestion is to join a Stumble upon Facebook Group. Didn’t even think about that. Thanks for the suggestion. ~Kathy

I learn so much from you! I haven’t even ever heard of SU but I’m going to definitely check it out. And I’m with you on pop ups! They irritate the sugar out of me and that’s precisely the reason I don’t have one on Truly Madly Sassy. Thanks for all the great info! I can’t wait to sit down and read all your blogs!!

I knew I was going to like this post after reading “… this one may piss you off”. That brought a smile to my face. Like a person who is straight to the point 🙂 The information is now stored in my brain to action later on. I just need to decide on what platforms to spend time on!

SU is probably one of my biggest referrers – not huge, but consistent and I think it’s because I share other people’s stuff on it. I used to hit the Stumble button more than I do now days – maybe it’s time to do a little more Stumbling!

Oh Elena! I’ve been stumbling for years (and blogging for less than a year) and it didn’t EVEN occur to me that I could put content on SU! I just assumed that it just gathered up things that were interesting from the internet all on it’s own. Thank you so much for this post. I’m going to put it on my things to add down the road.

These are great tips, Elena! I find all kinds of great posts there and share them, but I don’t Stumble every day. I used to get thousands of views on each post back in the day. There is more of everything now!

HELLO!

Elena Peters is a midlife woman who redefined her life after quitting her upper management job just before her 50th birthday. She reached for the stars and followed her passion for blogging. In three short years, her blogs have amassed more than 4 million pageviews!

NEED HELP CREATING CONTENT?

DISCLOSURE

This website contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on a product link, we may receive a commission in return. This site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here:
Cookie Policy